1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a transferring member which forms a nip section together with an image bearing member and which transfers a toner image formed on the image bearing member onto a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, a transfer roller is used to transfer a toner image formed on an image bearing member onto a recording medium while a recording medium passes through a nip section formed between the transfer roller and the image bearing member.
If such an image forming apparatus is transported while the photosensitive member and the transferring member are in pressure contact with each other, there are risks of permanent deformation of the transferring member, rubbing between the transferring member and the photosensitive member, and damage of the photosensitive member due to weakening material or bridging material applied to the transferring member, etc. In addition, when the image forming apparatus is transported, the apparatus is often placed in an environment like a ship's hold where the temperature and the like more greatly vary than in offices. This makes the above-described problems more serious. In order to solve these problems, techniques described below have been suggested.
For example, an image forming apparatus is known in which a photosensitive member and processing members related thereto are integrally formed as a cartridge that can be detachably attached to a main body of the apparatus. When this type of image forming apparatus is packed for transport, the cartridge is detached from the apparatus main body and is packed separately from the apparatus main body. In such a case, the above-described problems do not occur because the cartridge including the photosensitive member is packed separately from the apparatus main body. However, since the separately packed cartridge is stored in a single box together with the apparatus main body, a large box is necessary, which leads to an increase in transportation and shipping costs.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/209464 (A1) discloses a packaging device for an image forming apparatus that accommodates a packed toner cartridge in a sheet storage space for storing sheets conveyed from an image forming unit. However, according to this publication, the sheet storage space in the image forming apparatus must be sufficiently large to receive the packed toner cartridge, and the size of the packaging device for packing such an image forming apparatus is increased accordingly. Thus, even when the toner cartridge is placed in the sheet storage space of the image forming apparatus, the separately packed toner cartridge is packed in a single packing device together with the apparatus main body. Therefore, the problems regarding the size of the packing box and the transportation and shipping costs cannot be solved.